Iraq war veteran to take charge at ‘anti-heroic’ Army museum
A DECORATED Iraq veteran is to take charge at the National Army Museum after its £24 million revamp was accused of being too politically correct and anti-military.
Critics of the new-look Chelsea museum welcomed the appointment of former Brigadier Justin Maciejewski as a sign trustees would “rescue that once-great institution”.
The museum’s new thematic displays stressing the Army’s place in soci- ety drew mixed reviews when it reopened in March 2017 after a threeyear overhaul.
Andrew Roberts, the prominent military historian, said they were full of inaccuracy, political correctness and guilt about Britain’s colonial past.
He wrote: “Why can’t it just be a museum that houses the paraphernalia of the Army? Why should it be somewhere that leaves visitors ashamed of its supposed legacy of colonialism, imperialism and slavery, when that constituted only a tiny part of its story, and isn’t accurately portrayed anyhow?”
A Daily Telegraph review praised the reinvention though noted it was “bending over backwards to be as un-bellicose, anti-heroic and inclusive as possible”.
Mr Maciejewski, who spent 27 years in the Army and was awarded a Distinguished Service Order leading his battalion in Basra, takes over from Janice Murray, the former director-general, who was an experienced museum sector executive. The museum last night said Ms Murray had always been due to retire in October 2017 and Mr Maciejewski’s appointment was “not a conscious step towards the Army and away from the museum sector”.
But it said the new director-general had “deep understanding of, and empathy for, the Army and the values it stands for”.
Brig Allan Mallinson, another military historian, said trustees had accepted the criticism and decided that “this time they thought it would be a good idea to have someone who knew about the Army”.
He went on: “It will take time and money to sort out, but above all knowledge, understanding of and sympathy for the Army it’s there to be the museum of.”
Special Forces: Out of the Shadows, the museum’s first major exhibition since reopening, looking at the histories and roles of Britain’s elite special forces, is due to open in March.